AI.II.E — Aircraft Flight Controls and Operation of Systems
AI.II.E for the Flight Instructor Airplane ACS: official objective, references, and 19 exact knowledge, risk-management, and skill descriptions.
FAA-S-ACS-25, November 2023. This study page does not replace the current FAA publication or an examiner's plan of action.
Official task context
| Certificate or rating | Flight Instructor |
|---|---|
| Aircraft category | Airplane |
| Area of operation | Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas |
| Task | Task E. Aircraft Flight Controls and Operation of Systems |
| Task code prefix | AI.II.E |
| Official references | FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-9, FAA-H-8083-23, FAA-H-8083-25; POH/AFM |
| FAA document | FAA-S-ACS-25 — Flight Instructor for Airplane Category Airman Certification Standards |
| FAA source library | Open the official ACS library |
Official task objective
To determine the applicant understands flight controls and systems on the airplane provided for the flight test, can apply that knowledge, manage associated risks, demonstrate appropriate skills, and provide effective instruction.
What the ACS code means
- AI identifies the ACS standard family used for this Flight Instructor Airplane document.
- II identifies Technical Subject Areas, the Area of Operation.
- E identifies Aircraft Flight Controls and Operation of Systems, the Task within that Area.
- K, R, and S identify knowledge, risk-management, and skill elements. The number selects the item; a trailing lowercase letter identifies a listed sub-element.
Knowledge elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AI.II.E.K1 | Airplane systems, including: | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1a | Primary flight controls | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1b | Secondary flight controls | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1c | Powerplant and propeller | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1d | Landing gear | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1e | Fuel, oil, and hydraulic | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1f | Electrical | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1g | Avionics | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1h | Pitot-static, vacuum/pressure, and associated flight instruments | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1i | Environmental | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1j | Deicing and anti-icing | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1k | Water rudders (ASES, AMES) | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K1l | Oxygen system | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
| AI.II.E.K2 | Indications of and procedures for managing system abnormalities or failures. | Explain the element, apply it to a scenario, and connect the answer to current references or aircraft information when relevant. |
Risk management elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AI.II.E.R1 | Detection of system malfunctions or failures. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AI.II.E.R2 | Management of a system failure. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AI.II.E.R3 | Monitoring and management of automated systems. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
| AI.II.E.R4 | Providing instruction in unfamiliar aircraft or operating with unfamiliar flight display systems and avionics. | Work through a scenario by identifying the hazard, evaluating the risk, and explaining a practical mitigation or decision. |
Skills elements
| ACS code | Official description | How a mock oral can probe it |
|---|---|---|
| AI.II.E.S1 | Operate at least three of the systems listed in K1a through K1l appropriately. | Describe the procedure, interpretation, or decision process that can be discussed during an oral. Physical aircraft performance remains part of the practical test. |
Difficulty data
Difficulty calibration is ongoing for this Task. A difficulty estimate is published only with a sufficiently large, privacy-preserving first directly recorded assessment sample. Any observed difficulty comes from Checkride AI mock-oral practice assessments and is a practice-data proxy, not an FAA practical-test pass or fail rate.
Difficulty calibration remains ongoing until an item clears the private reporting threshold. Percentages, when available, describe the share who needed review on their first directly recorded assessment. Underlying sample sizes are never published, and historical final states are not backfilled into this measure.
How to use this in a mock oral
A mock examiner can ask you to explain the published elements, apply them to the configured aircraft and airport scenario, identify risks, and defend a decision. The prompts are practice scenarios; they are not claimed to be actual FAA examiner scripts or a prediction of the questions you will receive.
Related ACS tasks
- All Flight Instructor Airplane ACS tasks
85 task-level resources from FAA-S-ACS-25.
- AI.II.D — Principles of Flight
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- AI.II.F — Performance and Limitations
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- AI.II.A — Human Factors
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- AI.II.B — Visual Scanning and Collision Avoidance
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas
- AI.II.C — Runway Incursion Avoidance
Area of Operation II. Technical Subject Areas